“Hill Women”
This lovely oil on canvas painting from 1935, titled “Hill Women”, is by the Indian-Hungarian artist, Amrita Sher-Gil. Painted in the Post-Impressionism style, Sher-Gil was formally trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
While in Paris, Sher-Gil was influenced by the more modern art styles of artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Gauguin, and Paul Cézanne. She painted this piece the year after she had moved back to India.
Sher-Gil was a critic of the contemporary Indian art of her day. She stated that the paintings of her contemporaries focused on the Indian landscape, depicting the suffering of its poor people only as a sidenote within that landscape. As a result, Sher-Gil decided to focus her work on the people of India themselves, and particularly the women.
Today, Sher-Gil is arguably the most famous Indian female artist. Her art is highly sought after and is very expensive to purchase. The Indian government has declared her work as national treasures. In 1978, “Hill Women” was featured on a stamp in India.
This same year, Sher-Gil painted “Hill Men” as a companion piece for this one.
“Hill Women” is currently in the private collection of Navina and Vivan Sundaram.
For more on Amrita Sher-Gil, please visit her short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
